Wire fence



No. 625,661. Patented May 23, I899. c. L. ETHERIDGE.

WIRE FENCE.

(Anplication filed Dec. 27, 1898.,

(No Model.

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UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OARROL L. ETI-IERIDGE, OFJOPLIN, MISSOURI.

WIRE FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,661, dated May'23, 1899. Application filed December 2'7, 1898. Serial No. 700,388. (No model.)

. To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CARROL L. ETHERIDGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Joplin, in the county of Jasper and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Wire Fences, of which the following is a specification.

The improvement herein resides in a construction of wire fencing in which the linewires are tied to adjustable diagonal sustaining and bracing stays and combined with vertical stays in a way to produce a strong, durable, and tight fence; and my improvement will be specifically pointed out in the claims concluding this specification.

The accompanying drawings show, in Figure 1, a section of a wire fence constructed with my improvement. Fig. 2 shows, enlarged, the tie connection of the diagonal stay with the lower line-wire and the lower end of the vertical stay; andFig. 3 shows, enlarged,

i the tie connection of the upper end of a Vertical stay with the line-wire and withthe diagonal stay. Fig. A. shows views of one of the post-Winders for the line-wires, and Fig. 5 shows the post-winder for the diagonal stay.

I construct the fence with the lower half of the line-wires comparatively close together and connect them by vertical stays 1, placed about one foot apart, to form a comparatively rigid lower section.

Preferably mediately the length of a fencesection one of the vertical stays 2 is anchored in the ground by a brick or piece of wood 3 and tied at its upper end to the upper linewire of the lower rigid section. To these anchoring-stays 2 the upper half of the linewires are connected by links 4, which may be jointed between the line wires. This makes the lower section of the line-wires stiff and close to prevent small stock from raising or spreading them and getting through, while the more open upper portion of the line-wires will yield under the weight of larger stock rearing on them and will resume their straight relation after the removal of the Weight.

The connection of the links with the linei wires at the upper end of the anchoring-stays is seen in Fig. 3 and is made in such manner as to tie the links and the stays so that they cannot slip or slide on the line-wires, and I make this tying by coiling the upper end of the stay 2 on the line-wire at 6, Fig. 3, on one side of the end of the link 4 and, crossing the end of the stay 2 at 5 under the end of the link, coil said end of the stay at 7 on the linewire at the other side of the end of the link. This is one feature of my improvement, as it gives a firm fastening of the three wires by simply coiling the end of the stay by right and left coils 6 and 7 on the line-wire. The upper line-wires are connected by links 8..

One of the objects of my improvement is to lessen the number and expense of the intermediate posts, so that they may be placed from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet apart, and for giving the stiffness and strength required for so great length of span in the line-wires I provide a diagonal stay 9,

arranged between the posts, to have both a tightening and a lifting function on the line- Wires. For this purpose this stay 9 extends across the line-wires of a section obliquely upward and in the direction in which the linewires aretightened, so that the oblique stay is tightened in the same direction as the linewires. This oblique stay, as seen in Fig. 2, is fastened to the lower line-wire at one side 10, Fig. 2, of the fastened end of the vertical stay-wire 1, so as to pull against the tied end 11 of the vertical stay as an abutment in tightening the oblique stay. That this oblique stay may pull alike on each line-wire in the same direction it is coiled around the linewires at 12 and is connected to a winding device 13 at the top of the intermediate post, so

that in tightening the oblique stay it both lifts and pulls on the line-wires. In crossing the line-wires the coil-tie 12 of the oblique stay is brought against thetied end 6, Fig. 3, of the vertical stay, which acts as an abutment at the middle of the fence-section, against which the diagonal stay both lifts and pulls upon the wires which form the lower rigid frame separately and together and acts as a diagonal stay between theline-wires and to all of them. The upper end of this diago nal stay passes through a hole in the top of the post and'is secured to the Winder 13, so

that any sagging in the line-wires can be taken up, while proper tension may be given the line-wires bysuitable winders 16, secured to the end post of the fence. In this way the diagonal stays may be adjusted from the intermediate posts to lift the line-wires in conjunction with adjusting their tension from the and braced and .lifted together between the intermediate posts.

The line-wires are stapled to the intermediate posts 17 and passed through holes in the corner-post and each wire secured to a winding-pin 16, secured to the post and adjusted and held when the wire is wound on it by a ratchet 18 on the pin and a pawl 19 on the post. The diagonal stay is wound and secured by a like winder secured to the top of the intermediate post, both winders tightening the wires in the same direction, either separately or together.

The diagonal stays may be tightened at any time to lift the line-wires between the posts, and these diagonal stays can be applied to old fences to take up the sagging and brace and stiffen the line-wires.

Any number of anchoring-stays may be placed between the posts and being tied to the lower line-wires, prevent them from being lifted by hogs attempting to pass under them. The anchoring-stays also serve as conductors for lightning during storms, and thereby prevent or lessen the danger of killing stock, which huddle at the corner of the fence during the storm, and also prevent the burning of the posts. For this purpose these lightning-conductors are anchored in the ground from eighteen to thirt'yinches deep, and thereby safely ground the electrical current.

The lower half of a wire fence, with its vertical stays, must be stiff and well fastened, while the upper half, with its links, should be flexible to give to the weight of stock rearing upon it.

I may use a plurality of diagonal stays, which maybe connected to the same winder, because these stay-wires can be smaller than the line-wires. By connecting the diagonal stays to the upper and the lower line-wire at and against the ends of the vertical stays the diagonal stays are caused to lift the linewires as a stiffened frame, because the lifting action on the lower wire is at its abutment connection with the vertical stay, and in so lifting the frame to correct sagging the line-wires are at the same time pulled horizontally by such action, and thereby made stiff, as in Figs. 2 and 3.

I claim as my improvement 1,. In a wire fence and in combination with the line-wires and the vertical stays 1 coiled around them, and forming the lower rigid frame-section, of a diagonal stay coiled around the line-wires and at 10 on the lower line-wire against the lower coiled end of a vertical stay and coiled at 14 on the upper line-wire of the said rigid section against the upper coiled end of a vertical stay, in combination with a winding device arranged on the post and having a pulling action in one direction to tighten the line-wires and a lifting action on the lower rigid frame.

2. In a wire fence the combination with the line-wires and the vertical stays 1 forming the lower rigid f rame-section, and thelinks 4, connecting the latter with the upper line-wires, the upper ends of the said stays terminating in the right and left coils 6 and 7 on the upper line-wire of said frame-section and on opposite sides of the coiled ends of the links 4 connecting said rigid section for the purpose stated.

3. In a wire fence and in combination with the line-wires and the vertical stays connecting them, of the diagonal stays wrapped on the line-wires, post-winders for said diagonal stays, and post-winders for the line-wires, the tension on the said diagonal stays and on the line-wires being made in the same direction.

4. In a wire fence and in combination with the line-wires and the vertical stays connecting them, a plurality of diagonal stays connecting the line-wires, and a post-winder on which the several diagonal stays are horizontally and vertically tightened.

OARROL L. ETHERIDGE.

Witnesses:

A. N. WINcHnsTER, J OHN O. FAULKENDER. 

